Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu, freshwater lake between western Rwanda and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire). Kivu was created in the Pleistocene Epoch (about 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago) when the uprising of the volcanic Virunga Mountains dammed the Great Rift Valley and reversed the northward flow of the rivers in the valley. Kivu empties south into Lake Tanganyika by way of the Ruzizi River. Averaging a depth of 220 m (722 ft) and reaching a maximum depth of 475 m (1558 ft), the lake is 97 km (60 mi) long and 48 km (30 mi) wide, and covers 2,700 sq km (1,040 sq mi). Idjwi Island dominates Kivu's southern half, which contains numerous small islands.

The rich volcanic soils of the shores are dotted with pine and eucalyptus forests. Around the lake are commercial coffee, tea, chichona, papaya, and pineapple plantations, as well as banana, yam, and cassava patches of subsistence farmers. Large quantities of methane produced by organisms in the lake are responsible for low fish yields. The lake has been stocked with tilapia, one of the few fish common in Kivu.

Important cities on the Congolese side of Kivu are Goma, a large market town, and Bukavu, the capital of the DRC's Sud-Kivu region and the largest city on the lake. In Rwanda, across the border from Bukavu, is the market town of Cyangugu. Farther north along a scenic lakeside road are the Mukura Forest Reserve, the Ntaruk waterfall, and the resort of Kibuye. Across the border from Goma is Gisenyi, which was Rwanda's main resort town, known for its white sandy beaches, until political instability began in 1994. Ferries link the towns along the lake. The Tutsi Kingdom of Rwanda ruled Kivu's eastern shore during the 1800s, until it was occupied by German colonial forces in the 1880s. The Belgians dominated the western shore and took over the entire area after World War I (1914-1918).